Conwy Castle stands on a rocky outcrop on the banks of the river Conwy. It was built between 1285 and 1287 by Master James of Saint George for Edward I – with the help of about 1500 workmen.

Today, Conwy’s town walls (built at the same time) are some of the best-preserved medieval town walls in Europe. In its heyday, the walls of the castle were white-washed and the towers had conical roofs. This fairytale didn’t last long though – its exposed position caused no end of damage, and in 1346 Conwy Castle was deemed unfit for a king. Captured by Owain Glyndwr’s supporters in 1401, and under royalist control during the English Civil War, Conwy Castle went on to have less violent associations: Joseph Mallord William Turner painted it in 1798, and when Thomas Telford built his suspension bridge next to it in 1826, Conwy Castle became a tourist destination – it’s still a crowd-puller today. Conwy Castle gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1986 along with the other Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd.

This attraction is Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Service (VAQAS) approved.

For more details, click here to visit the VAQAS Website.
 

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